QUINCY, ILL. -- This week's heat wave has settled in on local businesses.

Staff at Starcrest Cleaners in Quincy have had to change schedules in order to finish work before the real meltdown begins.

This work room gets pretty steamy, sitting next to a boil room topping off the thermometer at 120 degrees.

"We start early. We have them come in at 7:15 a.m. rather than 8:30 a.m. We drink plenty of water. We have air conditioning that blows on all the work stations and keeps them kind of cool, so it stays a little cooler than it stays outside,"  said Doug Frese, supervisor at Starcrest Cleaners.

Frese says the humidity does make it harder to get the wrinkles out of these clothes.

That just means they receive a longer pressing.

And you might think companies dealing with air conditioning have it made during this heat.  But employees with Peters Heating and Air Conditioning say otherwise.

Bill Prichard's one of the staff members on call this week.  He says most calls coming in are emergency situations ... regarding no A/C or a medical condition.

To keep cool while working on outside jobs, Prichard says water is his best friend.

He also says he doesn't like getting into a cold car in between jobs, because the drastic change in temperature can make you more sick than staying in the heat.

What about your occupation?  Are you severely affected by intense heat?  Share your story below or on our Facebook page!